Kakkad Mahaganapathi Temple

Overview

The Kakkad Mahaganapathy Temple is situated at the Kunnakulam town, in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. This ancient shrine lies hardly a kilometer from the Kunnamkulam Bus Station. The Government Rest House and the Village office are located at close proximity to the temple.

About the Temple

The Kakkad Mahaganapathi temple is a historically significant shrine which houses deities like Sri Mahaganapathi and Lord Shiva in the form of Vettekaran. Both these deities are considered prominent with poojas being performed regularly for both. One special feature of Lord Ganapathi here is that the trunk of this deity is turned to the left. In the year 2002, the temple’s flag hoisting ceremony (Dwajaprathishta) was conducted. The following year, other Sub deities (Upadevathas) like Navagrahas, Nagas, Dampathirakashas, Durga, Bhadrakali etc. were also installed. Eminent personalities have donated funds and land generously towards this temple.

Festivals

The Friday Oottu ceremony is performed on the first Friday of all the malayalam months. Food is distributed to the devotees after offering Nivedhyam to the deity. The auspicious occasion of Vinayaka Chathurthy which falls on the Chingamasam is celebrated here along with a Sangeethotsavam. On first saturday of January every year, the Vettakaran pattu is performed which involves offering 12008 coconuts to Lord Shiva. The festival starts around 12.30am when the Komaram starts throwing the coconuts to break them. This broken coconut is given to the deity as an offering. About 12008 coconuts are broken in just about 3 1/2 hours. 8 days of Temple Festival (Utsavam) is celebrating every year starting with flag Hoisting (Kodiyettam) on Thiruvathira Nakshathram in Malayalam month of Meenam and concludes with the Pallivetta 7th day while having the Arattu on the 8th day. Chakyarkoothu Ottamthullal, Dance, Bhajans and so on are performed during these festive days. On the subsequent sunday after Arattu, the residents of Kakkad celebrate the Deshapooram. The consecration day of the idols (Prathishtadinam) is celebrated on the day of Aswathi Nakshathram in the Malayalam month Kumbham. Devotees generally believe that worshipping Sree Ganapathi and Vettakaran here helps them in attaining success in all aspect of life.

Prasad and Offering

Elephant tusk made of gold is offered in place of ivory. Other offerings include Niramala Vettakaran Pattu, Udayasthamana Pooja, Koottappam etc. Recital of (Vayana) Ramayana Navahayanjam, Bhagavathasapthaham, Ganesha Puranam, Sivapuranam are also done in this temple.

Significance

With the divine grace of Lord Ganapathi, devotees are leading a happy and prosperous life. Rituals like Mahaganapathi Homam is performed to remove any impending obstacles from one’s life. Mangalya Poojas are conducted for those facing marriage related issues while Santhana Pooja is performed for couple seeking Children boon and welfare of their children.

How To Reach Kerala

Airport

The Kochi International Airport is the nearest airport to the district of Thrissur, which lies in the central part of the state.

Railways

The Thrissur railway station is the nearest and is well connected to other major cities of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and other major Indian cities through a number of trains.

Road

Kerala is well linked to the rest of India via roads. National Highways 17, 47 and 49 passes through Kerala and connects the state with the neighboring states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Temple Address

Kakkad Mahaganapathi Temple,
Kunnamkulam, Thrissur District,
Kerala, Pincode – 680503.